Aircraft operate in many different types of weather and conditions, including icing conditions. Ice that forms on the leading edge of a nacelle that houses an aircraft engine may break off and enter the engine, potentially resulting in undesirable issues. In addition it may adversely affect air flow into the engine, potentially resulting in reduced performance and/or negatively impacting operating margins of the aircraft. Anti-icing systems have been developed to address ice formation. Although these conventional anti-icing systems have been effective, challenges remain, particularly with respect to air flow efficiency, asymmetric or uneven heating, localized hot spots, weight, complexity, and cost.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved anti-icing systems and methods. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.